Bernie Masters is a geologist/zoologist who spent 8 years as a member of the Western Australian Parliament. Married to Carolina since 1976 and living in south west WA, Bernie is involved in many community groups. This blog offers insights into politics, the environment and other issues that annoy or interest him. For something completely different, visit www.fiatechnology.com.au for information about vegetated floating islands - the natural way to improve water quality.

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Colin Barnett's influence within the WA Liberal Party

On June 21, I sent the following letter to the editor of The Australian. The newspaper chose not to publish it.

In 2003, while the member for Vasse in the WA Parliament, I lost Liberal
Party endorsement to contest the 2005 election. Troy Buswell was
selected in my place and he subsequently went on to win the 2005 and
2008 elections. Early on in his political life, he was touted as the
'great hope' of the Liberal Party, being seen by some as a future leader
and premier. Since then, we have witnessed his many indiscretions and
personality failings.

This history is important in understanding WA premier Colin Barnett's
disappointment in not having his preferred candidate Kate Lamont chosen
by the Liberal Party to stand as its candidate in the safe seat of
Churchlands. Barnett was made the leader of the parliamentary Liberal
Party in 2008 because then leader Buswell had committed another personal
indiscretion. In desperation, the party's power brokers made Barnett
leader in the expectation that then premier Alan Carpenter would win the
next election, after which Barnett would retire from politics.

When Carpenter called an early election and then ran an inept election
campaign, Barnett was able to win government with the support of the
Nationals. However, the Liberal Party had failed to endorse enough
quality candidates prior to the hastily called election, the result
being that Barnett had a very limited talent pool from which to choose
his cabinet. His personal qualities have been the major factor in his
government retaining majority elector support. With the next election
only nine months away and using his authority as the Liberal leader who
won the unwinnable election, Barnett tried to get a quality candidate -
Lamont - endorsed for a safe seat so that, after winning the next
election, he'd have a better range of MPs from which to select his
ministers.

The rebuff he has suffered as a result of Lamont's failure to win
preselection is a reflection of the hold that the ABC faction - Anyone
But Colin - still retains within the WA Liberal Party. Noel
Crichton-Browne, Norman Moore and Senator Mathias Cormann currently
control the lay party and, as they have shown in the past, they believe
it is better to retain control over the party and lose government,
rather than lose their control but retain government.

Lamont's failure should be viewed as nothing more than the party's power
brokers retaining their control. The people of WA may see it as a
deliberate slap in the face to a premier who has only moderate factional
support within his own party but, in reality, it's just a reflection of
the sad malaise that currently afflicts most political parties in WA and
Australia.